Dr. Sam Colbert
I believe there is great power in exploring difficult emotions with a trusted other; it is in making meaning of this pain that growth occurs.
Described by clients and colleagues as caring, compassionate, and present, Sam is committed to helping his clients grow. His training is rooted in a scientist-practitioner-advocate paradigm. As such, his therapeutic practice is guided by each client’s unique needs while also holding empirical evidence in mind. Sam works to engender a safe space in which his clients can explore parts of themselves that until this point have felt too painful to examine. Because he believes going to therapy takes great courage, Sam is truly humbled to have the opportunity to travel alongside clients in their healing journey.
You will find that Sam brings his whole person to the therapy process and works to point out patterns of thinking, behaving and especially feeling. He seeks to examine how our unique intersecting identities inform the way we move through the world and how systems of oppression influence and shape our experiences in the world. Starting from a foundation of curiosity, Sam seeks to learn about each of his client’s unique worldviews, and walks with his clients to a point of greater understanding.
Most ways of behaving are adaptive at some time in life. People often run into difficulties when they find themselves stuck in old patterns of coping that are no longer adaptive in their current circumstances. It is Sam’s hope that through therapy, clients can live more authentic, intentional, and fulfilling lives.
- I live by the philosophy that
- it takes great strength to be vulnerable.
- I could spend every day
- out in the garden with my hands in the soil or on the porch chatting with a friend.
- As a therapist, I
- work to engender a safe space in which my clients can venture to shine light on the parts of themselves that until this point have been shrouded in darkness.
Credentials
- Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, Ball State University, Concentration in Couples and Family Therapy
- M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Ball State University
- B.A., Psychology, SUNY Geneseo
- Predoctoral Internship, University of Pennsylvania Counseling and Psychological Services
- Trained in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
- Trained in Gottman Couples Therapy– Level One
Affiliations
- American Psychological Association
- Society of Counseling Psychology, Division 17 of the American Psychological Association
- Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Division 44 of the American Psychological Association
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)
Academic Publications
- (2021). Trans Individuals’ Perceptions of Counselor Effectiveness: An Experimental Analogue Study [Doctoral Dissertation, Ball State University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
- (2020). Effects of Sexual Orientation, Disability, and Gender Identity on Others’ Prosocial Behavior. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin.
- (2019). 2019 Report: Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS). The Counseling Psychologist.
- (2020). Mistakes Were Made by Me: Recovering When an Instructor’s Error Affects Classroom Dynamics. In M. Kite, K. Case, & W. Williams (Eds.), Navigating Difficult Moments in Teaching Diversity and Social Justice: Perseverance and Resilience. American Psychological Association.
- (2018). 2018 Report: Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS). The Counseling Psychologist.
- (2018). 2017 Report: Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS). The Counseling Psychologist, 46 (1), 87-91.
- (2015). Effects of Group Status and Victim Sex on Female Bystanders’ Responses to a Potential Party Rape. Violence and Victims, 30 (2), 265-278.
Allyship
- Poly-Affirming
